Sangamon County sheriff candidate Wes Barr said that if elected, he’ll increase the amount of training for new sergeants and lieutenants.

Barr, who retired from the sheriff’s office last year with the rank of lieutenant after 28 years in law enforcement, is running in the March 18 Republican primary against the current undersheriff, Jack Campbell. Barr, who spoke to The State Journal-Register’s editorial board Thursday, said the department needs to change the way it trains sergeants and lieutenants, who serve as supervisors for the patrol deputies.

“Right now, when somebody is promoted from deputy to sergeant, their training is that they have another sergeant ride with them for a week or so. Then they are out on their own,” Barr said. “I think we can do a better job.”

If elected, Barr said he would add to the current training and also have supervisors go through a formal, in-house training session that would cover the labor contract the deputies are operating under and other policies and procedures. The sessions also would cover the overall vision the sheriff and senior commanders have for the department.

Barr said any cost for the training would be minimal.

Campbell, interviewed later at another event, said the command staff has talked about expanded training for supervisors.

“As a sergeant, you are expanding your work as a deputy,” Campbell said. “That’s why we didn’t have an official training program in the past. But we certainly have talked about it. … It’s something we would like to look into.”

Barr also talked to the editorial board about his plan to allow military veterans without college credit eligibility to apply for sheriff’s office jobs.

Now, an applicant has to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or 60 semester hours of post-secondary education and at least two years in one of the branches of the military; or 60 semester hours of post-secondary education and have worked as a full-time sworn law enforcement officer for at least two continuous years.

Barr does not have a college degree, but did serve three years active duty in the Marine Corps.

“A lot of the skills they learn in the military are very applicable to law enforcement,” Barr said. “Life experiences can give you an education that doesn’t necessarily have to come out of a textbook.”

Campbell, who has been with the sheriff’s office since 1992, said he has no intention of changing the current standards of retiring Sheriff Neil Williamson.

Meanwhile Thursday, Campbell got the endorsement of the Sangamon County Farm Bureau, which said its political involvement committee made the decision after meeting with both candidates.

“Jack has been a longtime advocate of ensuring that our members in rural Sangamon County are given the protection and representation they deserve,” bureau president Larry Beaty said in a news release. “He has been an integral part of a team effort to utilize the resources of our organization to maximize the effectiveness of law enforcement at all corners of the county. We believe that his credentials, personality and commitment to the function of the sheriff’s office make him the best candidate for the job.”